Mind's Wonderland
by Storm Skyress
Summary: Living in the world of reality that is devoid of any creativity, Hinamori Amu resounds as a different girl who blends into the background. However, when a fateful encounter with a book sends her tumbling into a fantasy world, Amu learns to grasp the true meaning of having an imagination. But the imagination can be capable of unlocking a world of darkness...
1. Reality

**Hello, I, Storm Skyress, is back. Right now, I'm on holidays thus being able to post this new story. To those who have read my very first fanfiction, would know the fanfiction that I made entitled 'Amu in My Wonderland'. This story is a re-written version of it. **

**I'm not sure whether to delete 'Amu in My Wonderland' or not...**

**Anyway, I'm trying to centre this story around the concept of 'Imagination'. Hopefully it'll turn out well...**

**[Insert nervous laughter]**

**Also for this first chapter, I attempted to give Amu a new "character". It's been a while since I've read/watch Shugo Chara but I still remember the characters' personalities! **

**So... I hope you enjoy this!**

Mind's Wonderland

Reality

The sky was crimson. White swirls decorated the red, making it seem like a bloody version of Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Dark shadowy figures huddled together amidst a black meadow. Their empty white eyes looked down on a fallen body. The corpse's porcelain white skin was illuminated in a lifeless glow. Once beautiful ginger hair, now messily sprawled itself on the dirt floor. Cracked lips formed a manic smile. A gothic dress that clothed the body was torn and ripped.

The shadowy figures stretched out and started to cover the body with darkness. As the girl's body slowly disappeared, another figure hidden amongst the dead branches of tree, shock their head. The masculine figure stood up, revealing triangular ears that protruded out of his skull.

"Alice has failed, once again."

* * *

Shiny glass and concrete blocks of skyscrapers and buildings whirred past as the morning train zoomed along the tracks.

_Cla-clack cla-clack_

The muffled buzz of rock music, uncomfortable shuffles, stifled yawns and someone snoring could be heard. A sigh escaped her thin lips and a slender finger brushed a stray pink lock out of her face.

A girl with low pink pig-tails and red-framed glasses sat huddled up on the train seat. Her fringe was pinned back by a red X-shaped clip. A book was balanced on her knees. Hinamori Amu scanned the scene that lay before her with her honey-golden eyes.

Teenagers were catching shut-eyes before school with their music blaring into their ears from their headphones. Businessmen looked blankly at their wristwatches while fidgeting from where they stood. Amu was lucky to have scored a seat spot. Other passengers had their faces lit up from the bright light of the radiated squares in their hands.

_Another dreary scene of the world..._

Amu turned to look outside. A jungle of greys and silver were reflected in her pupils. She looked away. The scenery outside didn't differ much to the one inside the train. Her eyes fell upon the words of her book.

_This is the only gateway to a real world. _

She continued take in the story penned down on the pages, allowing the words to wash over her mind to form vivid pictures. The bespectacled girl didn't raise her head until the name of her destination was called out.

* * *

Hinamori Amu was age 16. Previously she had grown her hair out but was constantly pestered by its length so she decided to cut it back to shoulder length, occasionally tying it back into different styles. To fend off her boredom, Amu would put on different characters through her clothes; "a bespectacled beauty", delinquent, punk or just plain blend-in-the-crowd clothes.

From the moment she was born, Amu was different. During childhood, she didn't run around recklessly or asked for plastic toys. She was a quiet girl who took interest in literature instead. As she grew up, she became an observer of the world who hid behind paperbacks.

What observations has she made to this time?

_This world is stupid. _

Call her cynical, but that's what Hinamori Amu has concluded. What she sees those honey-gold eyes is a monochrome world while its people were faceless blurry shapes. That resulted into her burying herself in books.

The words of the pages seem to come alive with Amu. It seems ironic that the people of this world wrote such literature, but at least it was something.

Those words, those sentences, those stories, took her away from reality and brought her into another brighter and colourful world.

_Take me to another world…_

* * *

Students flocked out of classrooms, stretching, yawning and chatting. Ravenous ones rushed in the direction of the canteen, wallets in hand. Others had obento boxes and went off to join their friends.

Girls sat with their friends at tables in the canteen while others sat outside. Boys slurped down their noodles and devour their curries before rushing out to the soccer fields. Studious students took the time to study while the laid-back ones took naps.

A strawberry-favoured Pocky stick stuck out of Amu's lips while she walked down the corridors. It's colour matching her hair. She had removed her glasses and was now wearing her signature bored expression.

"Nothing to do again," she mumbled as the Pocky stick grew shorter and shorter. Despite it seeming childish, she liked the taste of strawberries; something sweet to take one's mind off the bitterness of the world.

Pulling out a fresh stick from the small box tucked in her skirt pocket, Amu halted at the library doors.

"Might as well check if they had updated any series," she hummed before sliding the door open.

Tall bookshelves lined up like soldiers while tables lay scattered about. The library was practically empty except for the sleeping librarian and maybe the odd occasion of an intimate couple. Amu walked in, unnoticed and began pacing slowly down the towering shelves. She took her time, there was nothing much to do anyway. Also she had read a quarter of the library's contents.

Suddenly laughter was heard from outside of the windows. The pink hair girl glanced out to spy a group of female students chatting underneath the shade of a tree. They quickly bunched up together before one whipped out their phone. All of them pulled faces then a white light flashed. The girls then huddled around the small screen to look at the selfie.

"Tch. Narcissists...," Amu mumbled and turned away.

She had never bothered to make friends nor has anyone taken any interest in her. She was merely someone in the background. Besides, people were the same; girls were only interested in their looks and reputations, boys cared about their manliness or 'swag' and who was the most toughest and rebellious.

That was all they cared about; what's the latest post online, who's with who and themselves. They're practically glued to their phones.

Then she saw it.

A book was sitting in plain sight on one of the tables. Amu blinked. _That wasn't there before... _Did someone take it out and went off somewhere? But if they did, surely Amu would have heard them. She walked towards the table and picked the book up.

It was a dark blue hard cover, with the title written in gold 'Alice in Wonderland'. Amu stared at the words. She had never seen this book in the library shelves before yet it suddenly was there.

"Well... At least it's something to read," she muttered to herself. Amu took a seat and cracked open the classic tale. Black sketches made up the illustrations of the book; Alice and her sister, the white rabbit, the Cheshire cat, the Mad Hatter and many others.

_What's so intriguing about a grinning cat and a tea-drinking lunatic? And who would want to follow a rabbit?_

Amu stopped on the last page where Alice was shown to have woken up from her dream. "A dream huh?" she whispered, "Something out of one's imagination..."

As soon as that last word left her lips, an almighty gust of wind blew the windows open.

"What the...!"

The gust was so strong, Amu had to shut her eyes and use one arm to shelter herself. All she could hear was the loud rustling of leaves and the pages of the book flipping madly. As quick as it had started, the wind died down. Golden orbs fluttered open then widened.

Her surroundings were bathed in an eerie purple light. Tree branches were now empty and dead leaves covered the library floor. Amu looked down at the book in her hands. An illustration of the Cheshire cat grinned back at her.

She gave a strangled yelp before throwing the book away and getting up quickly. It was all quiet now. No sound of chatty girls. No sound of loud boys. No sound at all. Amu cautiously walked between the shelves, whose shadows casted down upon her.

"H...Hello?" Her voice seemed to echo. Even the librarian had disappeared. A fearful expression found its way on Amu's face. She took a deep shaky breath in before a composed expression was placed on. It had been a long time since her heart was thumping this loudly.

Amu slid the door open. The corridors were empty with casted shadows on the floor. The purple light could still be seen through the windows here. Outside, more dead trees stood tall.

Suddenly Amu heard a voice.

"Tra la la, la la~!"

She stiffly turned to the side, with a cold sweat. A little pink rabbit was hobbling further down the hallway.

"A rabbit...?"

It turned around. Gold met chocolate brown. The rabbit's eyes twinkled before it took off.

"W...Wait!" cried Amu before running after it. Her footsteps rang out. The rabbit turned a corner. Amu followed. She noticed one of the doors was left open, just a crack. She swallowed before sliding it fully open. It was a legitimately empty classroom, no desks, no chairs.

Amu slowly walked in. She peered underneath the teacher's stand, opened the cabinets and checked the clothes rack. No rabbit was found. Just as she was about to call herself crazy, something gave way from under Amu's feet.

A hole had opened beneath her.

For once in her life, Amu screamed as she plummeted down to darkness.

* * *

_**Say farewell to reality...**_

**Well... that's it for now. I'll be trying my best efforts to update regularly but I'm being pressured by school a lot which has made me to consider stopping art and writing altogether...  
**

**But I'm trying to persevere! Because I was looking through all my reviews from 'Wish Upon A Wing' and 'The Wolf who Fell in Love with Red Riding Hood', and so many people support those little tales. Also a special friend is trying their best to support me too!**

**A-Anyway, please rate and review~!**


	2. Falling

**Oh I forgot to mention, may I ask for those who have read 'Amu in My Wonderland' to help me decide whether I should delete it or not?**

**I know this is a short chapter but I'm trying to break it up because, well I'm planning on some formation with the chapter names that's all.**

**Haha, I'm weird...**

Mind's Wonderland

Falling

Desperate hands clawed at the vine covered walls of the deep chasm but an invisible force seemed to be tugging Amu down.

"Someone, help me!" she screamed. No one heard her cries. Her sweaty grip loosened for one moment and Amu found herself falling. Another scream left her lips. Amu had never screamed this much before nor has she felt so terrified.

Her eyes adjusted to the gloom and suddenly she felt her fall slowing down but she couldn't see any ground to land on. Then she heard an ominous ticking noise.

A pocket watch, about the size of a clock tower's face, was entangled within the vine walls. Its hands were not straight, instead all wavy and curved and they were moving anti-clockwise. The Roman numerals were projected backwards.

She then passed it.

Flipping paper was then heard and an open book, the size of double doors, was next seen. Amu recognized the book by quickly scanning the contents and blurred illustrations. It was the book of 'Alice in Wonderland', the book that had started all this strange phenomena. Then realisation struck her.

_The book… The strange pink rabbit… Now falling down a hole… This is all similar to what happened to Alice!_

Suddenly the pages paused momentarily and Amu found herself gazing at the illustration of the grinning Cheshire Cat. She bit back a scream. Someone had painted its eyes sapphire blue, making the blue orbs seem alive. The deep hues of blue seem to bore right into her soul. Knots formed in her stomach but thankfully, she soon passed the book.

_Falling at this slow pace seems almost relaxing…_

Strange antiques continued to pass her; a mute gramophone, a moving rocking horse with no rider, an old-fashion projector that repeats the image of a falling bird etc.

Amu caught sight of a clear bottle, resting on one of the giant leaves of the vines. Its content was a liquid that had captured the spectrum of a rainbow. The warm glow that was emitted from the content gave Amu a slight reassurance amongst the darkness.

The bottle had a paper label tied to it. Calligraphic writing spelled out 'Dreams'.

"Is it possible to even capture a dream in a condensed form?" Amu wondered aloud and reached out for the glowing bottle.

As soon as her hands came into contact, the glass fractured. The liquefied colours then morphed into shades of red, purple and black. 'Dreams' were transformed into a demonic scribble that read 'Nightmares'.

Amu immediately let go of the bottle before it burst into shards of glass. Suddenly black stars whirled around Amu and she felt the force of gravity rapidly pulling her down. Wind whistled loudly in her ears and her eyes watered.

Then she saw it.

A fracture of light was slowly growing closer and closer. Her fall was nearing. Against the approaching whiteness, the black vines that lined the hole appeared like clawed hands reaching out towards her.

But surely it was her imagination, right?

One final question rang in her mind before the light fully engulfed her.

_Where will I be when I land? _

* * *

_**A land of wonders… **_

**Okay! I'm gonna try my best with the next chapter! You're free to suggest anything you want for the next chapters!  
**

**Storm Skyress out!**

**Reviews please~!**


	3. The Land of Wonders

**Okay! I've been working hard on this chapter. I've been having difficulties in putting these jumbled ideas onto paper! I hope the chapter isn't too boring for you guys! At least this time, it's a decent length!**

**I have also deleted 'Amu in My Wonderland' after Magical girl4's review.**

**Thank you for those who followed and reviewed! **

Mind's Wonderland

The Land of Wonders

"Hey, hey did you hear…?"

"She's finally arrived."

"What..?"

"Yes, the bunny has announced it."

"Hah, do you think she will do it…?"

"Nah, she'll kill herself again…"

Eerie whispers echoed throughout the dense and dark forest. Each whisper resonated over the other, causing the supposedly soft communication to escalate to a hum.

Suddenly a breeze blew through and the whispers immediately died down. Sapphire blue eyes slashed with black irises slowed opened. The tall muscular figure stood up amongst the branches. Lips curled into a smile, revealing sharp fangs.

"So, she's finally here.

* * *

She could hear something. A blurry voice was calling out to her. Suddenly a blinding white light shone down.

"Hello~! Are you dead? Oi, wake up!"

Amu's eyes flew up. Her vision slowly came into focus; blue skies, sunlight…that's being blocked out by something. She blinked again.

Chocolate brown met golden honey.

Amu flinched and quickly jolted up.

"Oh, goodie! You're alive!" sang a high voice. It belonged to girl who looked younger than her. The girl had brown-orange hair which was tied back in piggy tails with red bows.

A pale pink, sleeveless hoodie that had rabbit ears on the hood adored her torso, fitted with a white frilly skirt. Black, white and pink striped stockings clothed her legs. On her feet were pink flats and a golden pocket watch dangled from around her neck.

Amu slowly scanned her surroundings. She was in a grassy meadow, lined with a dense forest. A wind blew that rustled the leaves noisily. That was when she noticed her hair was down.

A black lace bow held her hair back and her school uniform was no longer being worn. Instead she was wearing a dress that came down to her knees, with frills lining the hem. Her long puffed sleeves fell past her shoulders and a neckpiece made of black strings clung to her throat.

"W-What…? Where am I? What am I wearing?" Questions which sounded stupid babbled out of her lips.

The rabbit girl giggled, "Welcome to Wonderland, Alice."

_Alice…?_

The rabbit girl then straightened up and dusted herself. "Anyway~!" she sang, "It's time for snacktime! Don't die Alice!" she laughed before running into the woods.

"W-wait!" cried Amu. Another gust of wind blew and Amu was now alone. She slowly stood up and stared at her feet. High lace socks covered her legs along with leather boots, fastened with pearl buttons. Amu then looked around.

_Is this…Wonderland?_

* * *

Dry leaves crackled loudly under the heels of the boots. For once, Amu didn't feel confident in the direction she was going. Back in her world, she'd always know where she was going. Amu was an organised girl but now, she wasn't so sure.

Everything looked the same. Amu looked over her shoulder. The meadow seemed to have disappeared as soon as she ventured out of it. Taking in a deep breath, Amu dared herself to take a couple of steps forward.

_Clink._

She stopped. The sound of china coming into contact with china was clearly heard, not so far way. Amu eagerly looked around. Maybe there was someone here that could direct her. White amongst the leafy greens was seen from the corner of her eye.

A white stone pavilion stood, half hidden by the branches of a giant oak. Amu approached it. A table stood underneath the pavilion. A teapot sat in the middle, accompanied by two teacups, two plates and two dessert forks.

A tea party for two.

_But who?_

Curiosity made her examine the set out careful. A light trail of aromatic steam waved from the teapot's spout. Evenly sliced cakes were placed on the china plates. Strangely, only one of the cups was filled with tea.

_Was someone here before?_

Amu looked around. "Hello?" she called out, "Is anybody there?" Only the rustling of the leaves overhead greeted her back. When she looked back down, a new decoration had been added to the table.

'Alice'. The name was on a name tag that had been placed beside one of the plates, almost as if beckoning her to take a seat. That certainly wasn't there before.

She cautiously sat down on her designated seat. What now? Amu stared at the empty seat in front her, the one which had its cup filled. And she waited.

And waited.

Amu stiffly craned her neck. Was someone meant to come? Dammit, she must look stupid now. She mentally face palmed herself. How could she be so stupid?!

However, just as she was about to get up, the discrete sound of metal tapping on china was heard. She turned swiftly. No one was sitting in front of her still. Amu narrowed her eyes in annoyance and sat back down in a huff.

"Well if no one's coming, then I'm starting!" she haughtily announced. No one replied nor did they magically appear. A pink brow twitched in annoyance. Each time, Amu attempted to leave, the sound of clinking china was heard almost indication not to.

Amu gave up and finally poured herself a cup. The tea was somehow still hot. She lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. A sweet refreshing taste washed over her tongue.

"It's delicious…," she breathed before taking another gulp.

The surface of the other teacup rippled. Someone smiled.

The pot was then empty and Amu gave another sigh of contentment. She never expected to have taken a liking to tea before. Normally she would drink water or juice, unlike the other teens who gurgled down acidic fizzy drinks.

Suddenly a stinging sensation overcame her body. Amu winced and dropped the tea cup. It shattered into tiny pieces.

"Poor Alice," a male voice tsked, "She gave into the temptation of sweet things."

Gold eyes flew open and spotted an unseen tag, hanging off from the tea pot. 'Drink Me' was inscribed into the paper.

_That shrinking potion…!_

Rapidly the world around her grew bigger and the clothes loosen around her drastically. Soon, Amu found herself buried in the soft lace folds of her dress. The blood rushed to her face and her mind started to buzz from countless of thoughts running through her head.

_W-what do I do?! W-what do I do?! _

A deep chuckled was then heard. Amu froze.

_A man..! A man is here! _

"My, Alice sure gave into the temptation of indulging herself with sweetness," the voice mused, "If only there's a way to convert her back."

Amu gasped as she remembered a vital detail.

_Cake! _

She cautiously peeped out from the folds, making sure no perverted person was nearby. No one could be seen. Then, with careful procedures to ensure she was covered, Amu made her way to the table top.

The cake slice, now the side of a shed, sat indignantly in front of her. As she approached it, a strong scent overcame the air around her; chocolate. Amu felt her mouth water. Alongside strawberries, chocolate was another of her favourites.

The urge of devouring the whole slice came to her mind and she was about to act on it when she remembered what the voice had said.

"_My, Alice sure gave into the temptation of indulging herself with sweetness…"_

Temptation? Was this a test? Amu bit into the moist cake slice, taking out a mouthful from it. The taste of bitterness stung her tongue. Dark chocolate was used in the batter. She swallowed it swiftly when a sweet after taste danced on her tastebuds.

_I want more…_

Amu quickly slapped herself. When naïve Alice ate the cake, she grew to the size of a house, and Amu certainly would have more difficulties in concealing herself. The stinging sensation overcame her again and she quickly jumped off the table.

She landed flat on her face, and realised she had returned to her original size. Amu quickly fixed her outfit. She casted a final glance at the undisturbed table, before quickly walking away grumbling.

* * *

Black leather boots tapped as they walked on the marble floor of the pavilion. A slender hand held a teaspoon before giving it a tap against the half-filled teacup.

_Clink._

A smirk played on the lips of the figure. "What an interesting girl," he mused.

The pavilion had started to crumbled as soon as Amu had left. The fine white marble support slowed degraded to black dead branches of a plant. The fine china tea set fell to the floor and vanished into ash.

Soon all that was left of the beautiful pavilion was the black skeleton of a tree. The figure stamped on the last remaining patch of green, causing it to decay into grey. He allowed the teaspoon to drop from his fingers and it morphed into a crow's feather.

"What mind do you posses, Alice?"

* * *

"Stupid person," Amu huffed while fastening her bow, "I bet he was a pervert!" An iridescent bubbled floated past her, followed by another. Soon bubbles filled the air around her. Golden pupils reflected the tiny orbs. She had never seen something so colourful in her world like this before.

Each tiny orb had captured the rainbow on their fragile surface. Amu turned and spotted the source where the bubbles were coming from. A girl about 30cm in height was sitting on a giant flower.

The girl had lime green hair that was curled at the end. Leaves and blue petals were woven around her petite torso. Long curly antennas protruded out of her head and large, delicate butterfly wings arched out from her back. She was blowing the bubbles out of a long curly metal pipe.

_A butterfly…? _

"Um, excuse me…"

The butterfly looked up and fixed her magenta eyes onto Amu. She crossed her slim legs. "Who are you?" she demanded in a voice that resemble the chime of a bell.

"Eh? My name is…"

"Are you a name?"

Amu was clearly taken back, "W-Well who are you then?" she spluttered.

A stream of bubbles was blown out. "Who am I?" the butterfly repeated the question as if it was asked in a foreign language, "Who am I?" More bubbles flew out. "I don't even know," she finally answered.

"What do you mean?" blinked Amu.

"More importantly, what are you going to do here Alice?" questioned the butterfly.

"Wha-"

"What are you going to do here Alice?" The butterfly smiled against her pipe, her smile read of mischief and mystery.

"I-I don't know," stammered Amu.

The butterfly's smile turned to a smirk, "Then why don't you find out?" she softly cooed, "Explore this… Wonderland."

A chill ran down Amu's spine as she glanced around the dense forest. "Is this… Wonderland?" she questioned. There was no reply so she looked back to the butterfly, only to discover that she had vanished from her flower, leaving only a few bubbles hovering in the air.

"Call it what you may," the butterfly's bell voice rang out, "If it is a place of insanity, it's Crazyland. If it resembles the underworld, it is Underland. But if it is a place of wonder…"

The bubbles burst and her voice was no longer heard.

* * *

It was the smell of cooking that lured her next. A delicious scent wafted to Amu's nose. Having not eaten anything except for the handful of Pocky, a cup of tea and a bite of cake, Amu let her nose lead the way.

She stumbled upon a clean path that beckoned her into a neatly kept garden lined with tall hedges, where a dainty cottage stood. Its walls were of white wood with a violet tiled roof. Smoke of a burning fire billowed out of its chimney.

Amu opened the small metal gate and cautiously made her way to the door. She was about to knock before it swung open by itself. Amu choked back a small yelp. She swallowed.

_Get a grip! You're not scared! You've never been scared before!_

"Hello?" she called out evenly. No reply. Not wanting to be a Goldilocks, Amu tried again. "Hello!" No reply still so she hesitantly walked in.

She followed the short hallway before stepping into a lounge room with big windows. Elegant white furniture, donned with blue cushions, was neatly arranged about in the room. A fire crackled welcomingly in the fireplace.

"Oh, you have finally arrived."

A calm voice drew Amu's attention to a chair which sat in front of the fireplace. A young lady was seated in it.

Her long trailing blonde hair was tied into two ponytails with black ribbons, edged with white lace. She wore a black, high neck dress which had white frills around her neck and which billowed out of her short black sleeves.

She then fixed her deep violet eyes on Amu. "Do you not know that is it rude to keep a Duchess waiting?" she declared.

"I beg your pardon?"

The Duchess stood up, making Amu note the bundle of cloth she cradled in her arms. "Here," said the Duchess, handing her the bundle, "Take care of him for me while I am gone."

A baby boy stared up at Amu with big eyes. "Wait!" she cried, "I can't look after him!"

The Duchess tied a laced black bonnet onto her head before slipping on lace gloves. "Well, learn quickly Alice," she replied shortly. She took a fan before disappearing out of the room.

"Do you really think the Duchess is stupid enough to entrust you with a baby?"

The deep voice made her turn to a settee. A young man lay stretched out on his back. A long, deep indigo tail waved lazily in the air. His long legs were clothed in black jeans with black, leather knee-length boots. He wore a baggy lavender shirt with long sleeves. Magenta stripes decorated the fabric.

Amu stared at the man whose face was covered by a cushion sitting on top of his face. However a smirk could be seen on his lips.

"Excuse me?"

A low chuckle was heard from the man. "What you're holding," he smiled, "Is definitely no baby."

Confused, Amu looked back down to her arms. To her amazement, a downy grey cygnet stared up at her with dark eyes before giving a small _beep_.

She quickly looked back up to the man. "Wha-" But the man was no longer lying on the couch. In fact, she was the only one in the room left. The fire gave a pop.

* * *

When Amu set the cygnet down onto the dirt path, it took a few steps forward before looking back at her. When she decided to walk in the opposite direction, she was aware of the grey fluffy ball waddling after her. This was quite amusing to her.

It followed her wherever she went. It shared her amazement and wonders when she discovered a beautiful discovery in this strange land. In a short period of time, she found herself having a little attachment to small chick.

When they reached a small clearing in the forest, and this was where the cygnet pointed its bill to the endless blue that stretched above them. Giving a little determined _beep_, it suddenly spreads its small scrawny wings and began flapping.

Amu watched it in curiosity. _Is it trying to fly?_

Another _beep_ was heard, and the cygnet suddenly did a run off before launching itself up a few centimetres off the ground, flapping desperately. It landed on its webbed feet before stumbling then tumbling over.

Amu laughed and crouched down to help it up. "Silly thing," she smiled warmly, "You're not big enough."

The cygnet turned to look at her with its black eyes before responding with another _beep_ and started to flap its wings again. Amu watched on with a bemused smile as it attempted another run off again.

Suddenly the cygnet jumped up at an astonishing height and its body began to grow longer and slimmer. Its downy grey fluff grew longer and sharper then becoming dyed in a pure white. Its neck stretched out and its tiny wings grew into two pair of magnificent white wings.

Amu's mouth dropped and she slowly stood up, watching the now beautiful swan circling the clearing, growing higher and higher.

But before it could take to the skies, something larger jumped out from the trees, taking the swan back to the ground.

Black boots landed on the grassy ground. Firm hand gripped the swan by its long neck. Amu ran up before halting in her path.

"You!" she cried.

It was the man she saw from the Duchess's cottage. Now she could see his face clearly now. The smirk was once again on his lips. Sharp jaw lines defined his long face, framed by midnight blue hair. Indigo triangular ears protruded from his skull.

And his eyes...

His eyes were pools of dark blue that could stare into the very depths of one's soul.

"W-what are you doing?!" she demanded, her voice wavering slightly on the edge, "Let the swan go!" This man gave her an uneasy feeling.

"This?" he held up the swan by its neck. It was unmoving, its eyes now glassy. "This," he repeated, "Is no swan."

Amu blinked in confusion.

"It's an object that develops a form depending on those who come into contact with it," he explained calmly, "What kind of imagination they possess."

The swan started trembled. Its pure white feathers turned into black and its form grew smaller. Suddenly a crow flew out from the man's hand before landing on his broad shoulders.

His eyes narrowed. "What kind of mind do you possess Alice?" he asked in a low tone, "Or should I call you, Hinamori Amu?"

Amu sucked in a breath as she took a step back. "How did you...?" So far, no one had called her by her real name before. They had always referred her as Alice.

The man's lips curled into a sinister smile. "The Cheshire Cat sees all, knows all," he replied.

_The Cheshire Cat..? _

Suddenly realisation hit her.

_That voice...! He's the one who was at the pavilion!_

"Now let me ask you a question Hinamori Amu," the Cheshire Cat smirked, "Now that you have had a look around. What do you think of this place? Do you want to stay or leave?"

She bit her lip as she took in his question. _Leave this place...? _Amu recalled the peaceful meadow she woke up in, the quiet forest she explored. All those sceneries had coloured, beauty; something intriguing was always around the corner.

_This place is so different to where I've come from. That world was so dull, so boring..._

"I would want to stay here," she finally answered, "This is a beautiful place."

The Cheshire Cat looked almost taken back but he composed himself swiftly, that it was difficult to say whether he was surprised or not.

"I see..."

Suddenly that smirk was back on his face again. The crow on his shoulder gave a craw before taking flight. He thrust his arm up into the air.

"Then allow me to see whether you are worthy or not!" he declared.

The crow drove down, swooping in the direction of the cat's hand. It then dispersed into a black fluid before forming a long blade which rest in his hand.

Golden orbs widened when they saw the weapon's presence. Amu took another step back. "What are you saying...?" she asked quietly, trying to disguise her trembling voice.

Her heart was pounding again.

He took a step forward, his smirk only growing wider. "Are you worthy of inhabiting a place where things that is considered as unreal is reality?"

_Run. _Her inner voice was screaming in her head. _Run! Run now! _But her feet seemed to be frozen in the ground.

Suddenly a classic Cheshire grin came to his face. "I'll ask this one more time Hinamori Amu," he started softly, "What kind of mind do you possess!"

Then he charged.

* * *

_**This world is only limited by your mind...**_

**I-I hope this is a good chapter! I'm still trying to clear things up in my head for this story. Apparently, when I looked on Google, it says the swan represents "innocence" hence I used a baby swan aka a cygnet.  
**

**I think there will be a couple of symbolism in this story... I don't know!**

**Anyway, thank you for reading! Storm Skyress will try her very best to update soon!**

**Until time!**


	4. A Bending World

**All I have to say is: I'M SOOOOOO SORRY!**

**You don't know how badly I've wanted to write this chapter up for so long but schoolwork kept getting in my work. Well, I hope this chapter is good since I didn't realise it would so long but that's good right?**

**Also, I'm been questioning my writing skills to be honest. Someone pointed out that my writing is suited for visual content. Should I stop writing? Also I know 'Shugo Chara' is no longer a popular anime but its cast is perfectly suited for 'Alice in Wonderland'. Should I continue this story?**

**Anyway, my fellow readers, I know I've died but I'm alive so enjoy!**

Mind's Wonderland

A Bending World

"Knight to 7e." A small delicate voice rang out of the large courtroom. Blood red hearts seem to glow against the pale white banners that hung in the room.

A large black stone craving of a horse chess piece was slowly moved, across the monochrome coloured gird, to its designated square.

After the knight settled in, a craving of a white King chess piece was slowly moved away by one grid.

"Knight to 6c. Checkmate."

The king chess piece suddenly cracked before shattering into dust. The knight stood over it, victoriously.

A sigh echoed in the empty throne room. A small smooth cheek rested against a pair of white frilled gloved hands with a red ribbon tied at the wrist.

"Oh my," the voice exclaimed, "What a boring game. It seems that girl isn't even worthy of this place."

Elegant leather shoes walked across the tiled floor of the courtroom before stopping at the heap of dust.

"Queen," a slightly undeveloped male's voice spoke, "I don't think you should underestimate her."

The Queen, a petite girl with a mass of long wavy cream hair, sat on the throne with a bored yet emotionless expression. Her elaborate dress consists of thin layers of white frills and petticoats covered with heavy red material. "Why do you say that?" she retorted.

A white gloved hand gestured to the large French windows which stood on the side of the room. "Look what she has created," he replied, "And she has only arrived here."

"Knave," the Queen cut him off sharply, "If I say she's a petty girl then she is a petty girl."

Sunlight shone through the glass and onto the Knave. His blonde hair turned gold at its touch. He wore a black and red military based outfit, with a white ruffled cloth protruding out of his coat. The gold trimmings on his outfit twinkled in the sunlight as well.

"I believe she's a unique girl to have created all this," the Knave declared boldly, his ruby red eyes sparkled with his declaration.

Amber eyes blinked in disinterest. "Knave," the Queen addressed, "despite that I have ranked you from a scornful thief to an advisor, does not give you the permission to sprout opposition against me."

The Knave bit his lip before softly mumbling, "I did not commit any unjust crimes and you know that."

"What did you say?"

He quickly composed himself, "Nothing your Highness," he replied coolly. Then he turned and briskly walked out of the room.

* * *

She throws herself to the ground, landing hard, as a desperate act to evade the attack. She could feel the swipe of the blade, centimetres away from her neck. Amu scrambled away, to catch her breath.

The man straightened himself up. "Not bad reflexes," he muttered, "But that wasn't what I want to see." He pointed the blade's tip in her direction. "Show me what kind of mind you have."

"What do you mean by that?!" Amu shot back, "I don't understand a thing you're saying!"

The only response he gave her was a small smirk before he charged again.

She ran. She ran around the clearing, trying to find an exit but he would always interrupt her escape.

"Stop running," he commanded, "Show me your state of mind."

"I told you…!" puffed Amu, "I don't understand-"

"Fight."

Her panting stopped as wide gold eyes stared at him. "What did you-" she started breathlessly.

"Fight me."

"How?!" she cried exasperatedly, flinging out her unarmed hands.

The Cheshire Cat chuckled before shooting her his classic smirk, "I'll only say this," he replied, "This world has no limits, except for your mind."

_It's only limit is… my mind? _

With that, he charged once more before leaping into the air, bringing the sword down along with his weight. Amu threw her arms out in front of her in a miserable way of defence.

_If only I had a shield…!_

Suddenly a wall of glass was conjured up in front of her. Shock expelled on the Cheshire Cat's face, resulting in him merely landing onto the ground and blinking confusingly.

Amu gasped, "W-what? How..?" she spluttered.

As quick as the shock had appeared, a smirk grew on his lips. 'She's that scared, is she?' he thought.

"Too weak," he scoffed before shattering the glass wall with a single swing of his sword.

She flinched at the sound of breaking glass. Jumbled thoughts whirled around her head with the addition of her pounding heart.

_A world limited by only the mind… He wants to see what mind I possess… _

Her eyes widened.

_Could it be..? _

She looked at her trembling hand.

_My imagination…?_

Suddenly a shadow was casted over her and Amu swiftly looked up at see the Cheshire Cat towering over her, sword in hand. His sapphire blue eyes were looking down upon her, hard and piercing.

"And here I thought you were actually worthy…," he murmured softly, "Look at you, all trembling and weak," he slowly lifted his sword, "Well then, just like your swan, you shall fall as well. An Alice like you is nothing."

Amu, for once, felt tears welled up in her eyes. She felt as if someone had just shot her. Never in her life, had someone uttered such harsh words to her. All the teachers would give her satisfactory comments of achievements to her, along with the necessary improvements.

No one had overly praised her nor have they even fully conversed in an actual conversation with her yet now, someone had called her weak, a word that Hinamori Amu had never associated herself with.

_Weak? Am I weak? _

It was true she had never fought against anyone before and no one picked a fight with her. Is that what he meant? She was physically weak? No, it had to be something else.

It was her state of mind.

For the majority of her life, Amu always saw the world in black and white. She had always scoffed at it and turned her back on it. But now…

But now, she was in a world that burst with colours. She had actually smiled in this world and here, she was crying in it too.

This was a world that made her feel as if she was truly human.

The Cheshire Cat swung down his sword, only to have it clash against metal. His eyes now widened.

Amu held a basic form of a rapier in her trembling hands, struggling to push back his blade. But it was her eyes that intrigued him. Yes, they were teary. Yes, they still looked fearful. But there was another emotion mixed in those golden orbs. A far more dominant emotion.

Determination.

"I…," her voice first started soft, "I…," but eventually grew stronger, "I'm not weak…!" she croaked, "I will become stronger! I'll become stronger in this world! Because… Because this world makes me feel alive!"

And with that, Amu summoned all her physical strength to push back the Cheshire Cat. He took a couple of steps back before taking in this Alice. She slowly stood up, still slightly puffing but her eyes burned like a flame as she firmly held on her rapier.

He smiled to himself. 'Well, well' he chortled to himself, 'What an interesting Alice we have found or rather, an interesting girl.'

A yell brought him back when Amu charged forward, thrusting her rapier towards him. He merely stepped to the side, making her miss and stumbled, before falling flat to her face.

Amu spat out dirt and small blades of grass. Then she heard a single applaud which made her turn around.

There the Cheshire Cat stood, now unarmed, simply clapping his hands together with an amused smile on his face. "Well done," he smiled, "You have passed my judgement."

Her heart gave a thump. He was smiling, not a mischievous smile or a mocking one, but a genuine smile.

She slowly got up to her feet. "So I can stay in Wonderland?" she questioned.

He pulled on a thoughtful expression, "We'll have to see," he replied, "But for now," he gestured around him, "I guess, welcome to Wonderland Alice."

"Oh, no," he smiled once again, "Hinamori Amu."

* * *

The whispers amongst the forest darkness started again but this time, at a quieter rate.

"Did you hear? Alice has discovered the power of this world!"

"Eh?! That's impossible, out of all of those girls, only a few managed to do that!"

"What do you think this world is going to be like now?"

"I don't know but apparently the Cheshire Cat gave her his approval."

Suddenly there was a soft crackle of dry leaves and the voices died down. Bare feet padded across the forest floor.

"Did I hear that correctly?" a soft feminine voice mused, "Alice is still alive?"

None of the voices replied

Luscious lips smiled, "And my kitty gave his approval? Well, well, well…"

* * *

The Cheshire Cat lead her along a path with Amu following him with ease. Occasionally she would glance up at him. His face was always shaded by his long strands of his midnight blue hair.

Then he spoke in that deep voice of his, "You haven't seen all of what Wonderland has to offer yet, have you Hinamori Amu?"

"Ah… No, I don't think I have yet," she replied. That was when she decided to ask him, "Um, Cheshire?"

"Hmm?"

"How do you know me by my real name?"

He stopped abruptly in his tracks. Amu halted suddenly too, bumping into his arm accidentally. She looked up at him. From her angle, his long fringe sheltered his eyes.

"Cheshire…?"

There was an uncomfortable silence. Amu suddenly regretted asking him that question. "Um, d-don't worry about it," she stammered, "F-Forget what I said, um, how about where are we-"

"Amu."

She immediately became silent. Her heart gave a loud thump within her ribcage. That was the first time someone had called her by her first name, without an honorific.

"Y-Yes…?"

He finally turned to face her with a distant look in his eyes. "How…," he paused, unsure on how to word his question, "Have you ever wonder how these characters came into this world?" Finally he looked her in the eye, those deep pools of blue. "How I came into this world?"

A light blush dusted itself on Amu's cheeks. For some reason, she couldn't look away. "Y-You were born into this world…?" she hesitantly replied.

Those eyes could almost pull you into their depths.

That was when those pools of blue darken as a sad look washed over the Cheshire's face before he turned away. "No," he replied solemnly, "We were not born here. In fact, all of us came into this world by the same method as you."

Amu titled her head, unsure at what he's getting at. "You followed a pink rabbit and dropped down a rabbit hole?"

A soft chuckle was emitted through his lips. "No," he smiled sadly, "The Pink Rabbit is the newest edition to the cast so we did not follow a rabbit. Instead, we were brought here, not knowing that we later can't escape this world…"

"What?" Did she hear it right?

_Can't escape?_

"B-But why would you want to escape?" she softly asked. He glanced at her. "I mean," she bit her lip, "Why would you want to leave this beautiful world?"

The Cheshire stared at her with a strange look before allowing a small sigh to escape out of his mouth, then ruffling her pink hair.

'She doesn't understand. Not yet. Maybe it's for the best.'

"Don't worry Hinamori," he gave a small smirk as Amu pouted at her messy hair, "Just keep this in mind."

Amu looked up at him with naïve eyes.

"Do not ever forget your name."

"Eh?"

His eyes hardened, "I mean it," he said more firmly, "Do not ever forget your name."

Amu was slightly taken back, "O-Ok," she stuttered, "Um, can I ask one more question?"

"Hmm?" One of his cat ears twitched and his tail waved impatiently.

"S-Since you know my name…," she blushed again.

_W-what's wrong with me? Why do I feel embarrassed? _

The Cheshire blinked as a bored expression consumed his face. His ear gave another twitch, twisting to Amu's direction, listening intently for her to finish her question.

Taking a deep breath, Amu looked up at the bored blue eyes. "Since you know my name, I want to know yours as well! So, can you tell me your name then?"

His eyes widened. 'Did she just ask for my name?' he thought to himself in shock. He stared at those golden eyes which formed a resolute expression on her face. Suddenly he looked away from those glowing orbs as he raked his fingers through his thick hair.

"…Ikuto," came the reply, "Just Ikuto."

"What about your last name?"

Another uncomfortable silence fell. Feeling ashamed for her constant questioning, Amu decided not to persist. After a while they resumed walking around, however no words were exchanged. Amu stared at the Cheshire's back. No, Ikuto's. She thought slowly, repeating the name by its syllables.

_I-ku-to… Ikuto…_

She smiled.

_That's a nice name._

* * *

"I told you, that you should have not underestimated her," the Knave said with a small smug look on his prince-like face.

The Queen stared at him blankly before startling him, by abruptly standing up from her throne. Her small heels clicked loudly in the empty throne room as she slowly made her way down the steps. As she grew closer to the Knave, it was made aware that she was rather small, only coming up to the Knave's chest.

She boldly looked up at him. Her thick wavy curls cupped her small, round face. "Well then," she declared in her small voice, "Bring Alice to the palace and I shall see her myself!"

* * *

Suddenly the trees around them shivered before an explosion of streamers and confetti rained down on Amu and Ikuto. The plastic decoration entangled with the greenery. Colourful toadstools popped out from the ground and started bopping up and down. Trees made way for a clearing where a long table sat. Chairs of all sorts lined its sides.

A single dark green top hat sat at the far end of the table.

"Ah, what interesting scenery we have," Amu announced, surprised that she was suddenly singing her lines, "Shall we investigate more?"

Ikuto stayed silent and was harbouring a bore expression.

Suddenly the hat started to jump up and down before a man popped right out from underneath it, having the top hat perfectly settled on his messy red hair. He stood straight and tall on the table with a carefree grin and twinkling green eyes.

"Oh, you're interested too, right?" he sang as well, "Well, come, sit down and let's start~!"

Suddenly the Pink Rabbit bolted out from the bushes on one side while a boy with dark green hair and glasses burst out from the other side. He had brown rabbit ears. They pulled the string of party poppers and showered the two with more confetti and streamers.

"Would you like some tea?" they both sang, "Would you like some tea~!"

The man with the top hat was now standing on one leg and casually twirling on the table top. He was balancing tea cups in his hands. One was even resting on his hat.

"If you drink it down happily, then the world will dance with you~" he chimed in.

Both rabbits clutched onto each of Amu's arms, "Would you like some tea~?" they sang again, "Come, have some tea~!" They then threw her forward to the table.

To Amu's amazement, the cutlery and china were dancing on the table, in time to the music's beat. A large tea cup, about half the size of a car, slowly hovered in the air in front of Amu.

The man in the top hat stretched out a note while holding a cup to the sky. She gave a yelp before running back to Ikuto as the cup charged at her.

"Let the crazy tea party begin~!" the man finished before dramatically flopping down on a chair at the head of the table.

**(A/N: the song entitled 'Crazy Tea Party' from Vocaloid 'Alice in Musicland' inspired the scene for me. Trust me, it sounds so much better than what I described here)**

Amu spat out blades of grass before letting a groan as she was knocked over by the giant cup. Ikuto took a step forward and eyed the man in the hat.

"What kind of welcome was that?" he questioned, "You don't usually do that Hatter."

"Cheshire~!" the Mad Hatter greeted the cat with a wave while holding a full teacup, "My friend, why didn't you sing along with us?" The golden brown liquid spilled over its brim, creating large stains on the white table cloth.

Amu glanced at Ikuto who still wore a bored expression. _Yes, why didn't you sing Ikuto?_

"I heard the new Alice was in so I wanted to give her a cra-sical welcome~!"

"Cra-sical?" Amu repeated, "Don't you mean 'classical'?"

"No, no, no!" cried the Hatter, "It's cra-sical; crazy and musical! Anyway, welcome dear Alice to Wonderland! The Pink Bunny, March Hare and I hope you like our greeting! Have a seat, have a seat!"

**(A/N: I just realised that "crasical" would be how Japanese would pronouce "classical" since they replace 'L's with 'R's)**

The Pink Bunny and March hare were seated amongst the various chairs. The Bunny was stuffing her mouth with cake while the Hare was gnawing on crackers at a rapid speed. A little grey mouse wearing a waistcoat was scurrying about, carrying a saucer over its head filled with sweets.

Amu was about to take a seat when the Hatter cried out, "Wait! I'm sorry I forgot there are no seats available."

"But…," Amu surveyed the amount of empty chairs, "There are plenty of seats."

"No there isn't~!" chimed the tea party members. Even the mouse gave a squeak which Amu had a feeling as if to agree with the others. Amu frowned before indignantly taking a seat on one of the chairs however before she could even set her behind on it, the chair disappeared causing Amu to stumbled backwards and fall.

The Pink Rabbit giggled while the rabbit boy continued munching on crackers. The Mad Hatter grinned while the mouse gave another squeak. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. Stubborn, she attempted to sit on another chair, the same thing happened, which resulted in more laughter.

"I told there are no seats available," grinned the Hatter. The others snickered. Just then, Ikuto casually strolled pass Amu and sat down on a chair next to her.

Amu blinked. _H-How…?_

Ikuto pats the chair next to him, signalling her to sit. Amu took a seat, noticing he kept his hand on the chair's back. Surprisingly, the chair didn't disappear this time. The Mad Hatter heaved a loud sigh while the Pink Bunny gave an "awwww". The March Hare stared at her with wild eyes as he started on a new cracker.

"Well, aren't you a wet blanket on this tea party, Cheshire?" tooted the Hatter, shaking his head, "But anyway!" He abruptly jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over before raising his cup high in the air, "Tea please!" he screamed.

Tea pots of multiple designs flew out from the colourfully decorated trees, followed by tier cake stands ranging from ones, twos and threes. Each plated with beautifully, and deliciously made cakes and sweets.

A fat china tea pot hovered in front of Amu. "Tea Alice?" the Hatter asked with a smile.

"I-I guess, thank you," she replied, holding up her cup. The teapot tipped its spout and Amu's cup was filled to the brim. Ikuto lazily held his cup up to the same teapot and it filled his as well.

"Enjoy my dear," he chuckled. Amu took a mighty swing of her cup. Her eyes bulged and let out a scream as flickers of flame flew out of her mouth. Amu slammed her cup down and frantically blew; her tongue felt as if it was engulfed by a fire and the uncomfortable heat of it had travelled down her neck, almost as if it was burning her.

The Pink Bunny clapped and hooted along with the Hatter as the March Hare stared in bewilderment.

"W-what kind of tea was that!" Amu spluttered, desperate to cool her burning mouth but there was no sight of soothing water. Ikuto was casually drinking from his cup before letting out a sigh. He placed his hand over Amu's cup and the tea glowed for a quick second.

"Try drinking it now," he muttered before resuming sipping from his cup. Amu gave him a confused look, her throbbing tongue hanging out from her lips.

She took a tentative sip. A familiar refreshing sweetness washed over her tongue, extinguishing the fire. She turned to Ikuto who had finished his tea. She opened her mouth, mute words poured out.

He noticed her fish mouth, "I take it you liked the brew with the pavilion?" he smirked against the rim of his cup. Pink dusted her cheeks and her mouth clamped shut.

Too embarrassed to express her gratitude, she decided to counter his question with another. "H-How come you didn't taste the spiciness?"

Correction, a whole lot more questions.

"Why didn't the chair disappear on you? How come I was the only one singing and not you?" They came spewing out in a rushed mumbled.

Ikuto set his cup back on its saucer. "What did I say before?" he whispered, "This world is limited by the mind," he scanned the meadow with its colourful décor, "A mind possessing a powerful imagination can even influence the environment. It can also influence the people in the environment."

"But how then can you-"

He cut her off, "However, if a stronger mind is present, it can decide whether or not, it will allow itself to be shaped by another person's mind." He looked at her, "Understand?"

Amu gave a small nod, "Does that mean… I have a weak mind?" Her heart sank a little at her own words.

"No," he replied, "You weren't aware of that factor."

"But Ik-"

Suddenly he silenced her with a hard glare, "Don't utter that name in the presence of others," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Amu flinched before rapidly nodding. Ikuto's composure had suddenly seemed to cut her off. He was looking into the distance with a hard look in his eyes. She decided to draw her attention back onto the tea party members.

The Hatter was juggling tartlets while the others laughed and applauded him. The tartlets then morphed into one large cake. He suddenly threw it high into the air and leapt off his chair.

"Golden Victory Shot!" he cried as his foot connected with the cake. The cake flew through the air, like a meteor.

Straight to Ikuto's head.

_SPLAT!_

Half Ikuto's midnight blue hair was smeared with dripping icing and chucks of cake matter laid across his shoulder, some buried in his hair. Small pieces of fruit winked amongst the entanglement of blue.

Silence dropped like a rock.

His eyes were closed; at first glance he seemed calm but the furrowed brows and clenched jaw line said otherwise.

The mouse's eyes lit up with delight as it scurried towards Ikuto, scaling his torso to his shoulder and began devouring the cake at rapid speed. When it was done, Ikuto was… well, licked clean.

The Hatter flexed his leg. "Huh, I don't usually kick cakes," he mused before bursting out in laughter, "I must be younger than I thought!"

The others laughed at his joke while Amu inquired whether Ikuto was alright or not. Ikuto didn't answer. Instead, he stared at the Hatter for a long time.

* * *

The two decided to leave the mad tea party and advance forward. They didn't speak to one another. In fact, no words were exchange for a while. Amu regretted for foolishly uttering his name in public. Clearly it had disturbed him greatly.

But why?

Suddenly the trees shivered before their leafy foliage changed into vivid pink blossoms. The blossoming cherry trees then started to line themselves on both sides of the path, creating a symmetrical outlook.

"What's going on?" asked Amu.

Ikuto looked frozen and his eyes were wide, "It's those two," he muttered before vanishing in front of Amu's eyes.

"Wha..?! Ik- C-Cheshire?!"

Just then she felt both of her arms being linked to two other arms. She flinched.

"Objective: Capturing Alice," spoke one voice, a young male's.

"Completed!" finished another, a female's.

Amu looked to both of her sides. A boy with long purple hair and bright orange eyes was at her left. A girl with identical hair, only tied back in a ponytail, and matching pupils was at her right. Both were smiling at her.

_Twins…?_

"Hello Alice, I'm Tweedledee!" announced the boy.

"And I'm Tweedledum!" added the girl.

"N-Nice to meet you?" stuttered Amu. She was still quite startled by Ikuto's abrupt disappearance and the suddenness of these two's appearances.

"We're here to take you to the Queen~!" they chimed together.

"Oh that's nice. Wait, the Queen?!"

"Yes, the Queen wants to see you," smiled Tweedledum.

"Urgently!" emphasised Tweedledum.

"B-But!"

"No bottoms involved!" they sang together, "To the Queen, we go!" And they whisked Amu off, with her protests bouncing off the trees.

A pair of intense blue eyes spied after them, in the cracks of one of the trees.

* * *

"Queen," the Knave stepped up the throne, "Tweedledum and Tweedledee has arrived back, with Alice."

The Queen was sleepily opened one eye, "About time," she huffed, "Bring her in."

The Knave bowed before making his way out of the throne room. He moved swiftly and fluently through the long corridors, to the large front doors of the palace. When they swung up, he was greeted with the sight of the twins, clutching a thrashing being in their arms.

A girl.

Her long, silky hair has captured the colour of a bashful rose. Her eyes were pools of golden sunlight. He stared at her as something in his heart was shaken awake.

"Let go!" she pleaded, "I-I don't want to see the Queen!"

"Please Alice," he spoke gently after finally finding his voice, "The Queen merely wants to see you."

She immediately stopped fighting when he spoke and she laid those beautiful eyes on him. He found himself standing a little taller.

"I am the Knave of Hearts," he bowed before gesturing inside, "This way." When the three entered, the Knave was about to close the doors when he swore he felt something brush past him. He blinked but nothing was there.

* * *

_The Queen! I'm going to meet the Queen! W-what if I say something wrong?! What if she wants to behead me?! Like Alice! Argh, why must you leave me by myself Ikuto?!_

Those thoughts buzzed through Amu's head, making it throb. Then her eyes settled on the back of the Knave and her pulse began to slow. His hair looked as if it was made of spun gold. Occasionally, he would glance back and she'll see those ruby eyes.

_He's quite handsome…_

Now that she was settled, Amu took the time to observe the palace's interior. Its walls seemed to be made of white marble or some other kind of stone. But the most dominant aspect of the palace was its colour.

Red.

Red banners trimmed with gold hung on the walls and from the ceilings. Delicate vases, sitting on polished cherry wood tables, held red roses. The carpet clothing the cold stone floor was made of heavy red material. The velvet of furniture was red. Even the photo frames depicted objects, which share the same colour, in their space.

The shape of hearts was also predominant. The banners would always have a different yet elegant design of a heart stitched into them. Some of the frames depicted different depictions of the same shape.

_This is truly the kingdom of Hearts…_

The Knave then slowed down in front of two pair of majestic doors with large gold handles. Amu felt a lump forming in her throat. The doors swung open.

"I present to you, Alice, the Queen of Hearts!" declared the Knave in a grand voice.

A small girl with waves of silky cream curls sat on the throne. The first thing Amu noticed was her size. She seemed like a doll sitting on a giant chair but it was her eyes that made all of Amu's thought of her being petty, disappear.

Pools of amber bore themselves to Amu's direction. As the Knave gestured her to stand before the Queen, Amu had already felt her criticising look on her.

She tried to stand still as possible but it was difficult since she could see the clear movement of the amber pupils taking in every detail of her. The Queen's expression read of complete distain.

"Is that really Alice?" She wasn't addressing Amu. It was directed to the Knave.

"Yes, Queen. This is Alice," he replied, standing tall and straight as like he was proud of Amu. Amu could feel a light blush creeping in.

"She's pitiful," the Queen yawned, "Get her out of my sight."

Amu felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on her. Pitiful? No one had ever associated that word with her, ever. Not even herself.

"But Queen-"

"Are you opposing me Knave?" the Queen spoke with a soft but assertive voice. Despite her doll-like appearance, she kept her chin high. She was certainly a person who was use to be in control, and obeyed.

Even the Knave was at lost for words, for only a moment. "But she's made it this far," he said defensively, "Surely we should give her a chance. Besides, how long since a Alice have entered in Wonderland?"

"_A Alice"? _

How the name was associated with 'a' piqued Amu's curiosity.

_Was there... more than one Alice?_

The Queen tapped her finger against the arm rest, in thought. She then smiled; a smile that a lion would give before it attacked its prey. It was a smile that said 'Okay, I'll play with you but I know I'll win in the end.'

Amu swallowed.

"Very well Knave," she cooed, "If you think so highly of Alice, why don't we see her amazing skills for ourselves?" She clicked her gloved fingers.

Tweedledum and Tweedledee separated and rushed to either sides of the room. They started to drape the heavy curtains over the windows, blocking out the sunlight. Amu had to blink several times for her eyes to adjust.

Then the giant chandelier overhead illuminated. The Queen had stepped off her throne and was standing a couple of metres away from Amu. That was when Amu noticed the marble floor had turned into a monochromic grid.

"Alice," the Queen had finally addressed her, "I hereby challenge you to a game of wits. If you win, I'll accept you into Wonderland and as a member of the Kingdome of Hearts," she smiled, "If you lose, then it will be off with your head!"

A stone of dread fell on Amu.

_Oh god... Someone help me._

* * *

_**The heart is a source of vigour and honesty**_

**Okay, I hope everyone gets the idea who is who in this story.  
**

**Alice = Amu  
**

**Cheshire Cat = Ikuto**

**Knave of Hearts = Tadase**

**Queen of Hearts = Rima**

**Duchess = Utau**

**Mad Hatter = Kukai**

**Tweedledee = Nagihiko**

**Tweedledum = Nadeshiko**

**Pink Bunny/ White Rabbit = Yaya**

**March Hare = Kairi**

**Butterfly/ Caterpillar = Lulu (however I'm planning to put her as a minor since she wasn't a manga based character) **

**Mysterious girl = someone! :D **

**I hope you enjoy the story so far, and understand some of its concepts... It's hard to revolve this story around 'Imagination' but I'm gonna try my best! Otherwise these ideas aren't gonna get out of my head! *^* **

**Please review~!**


	5. Author's Thanks and Farewell

Hello fellow readers! I know it's been a while (like how many years?) since I've been active on Fanfiction. However I'm sad to say I may not be continuing writing fan fiction. INSTEAD I will be working on stories that involve original characters and concepts.

Regarding my latest story _Mind's Wonderland_, I've decided that instead of utilising the cast from Shugo Chara, I'll be creating my own original characters and be exploring a deeper concept with the story.

For the past few months, I've been developing an original cast for the story and clarifying ideas hence the halt of uploading chapters. I must admit the progress is slow from enduring the last couple months of my final year of school. I do not know whether I'll publish the story on Fanfiction but if anyone knows any good places, please notify me.

Also, when I'm free of school and have more time, I am considering doing some manga adaption of my top ranking story; _The Wolf who fell in love with Red Riding Hood_. If I can find a place for fan mangas, then I'll upload it so look forward to that!

Do not fear, I will not stop writing. It is just I'm unsure whether to continue uploading stories on Fanfiction because they do not fall into the category of "fan fiction". If I do upload any new on another site, I will take up the name of "Namida Nora" so if anyone knows any potential sites please inform me~

Other than that, I can reassure I'm not going to disappear from Fanfiction. I'll be checking some stories out (particularly fanfiction featuring Kagamine Rin and Len) and may slip a review as a 'Guest' or my actual pen name. So thank you, to all those who favourite-d me, followed my stories and gave motivating reviews! You know how to make little me very happy! And who knows? I might check out some of your stories! Otherwise, keep up your creativity in writing!

-Storm Skyress


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